SoCal Goodness

I know I have been in hibernation for quite a while.  Sorry for the backlogs, folks!  Moving across another continent and flying through 3 countries surely took a slight dent on me. Add tons of turnover work, moving stuffs and dogs around to that and it was a surefire mayhem. So this is me again saying hello and how have you been. :-)   I am now back in the sunshine state and currently soaking up that good 'ole California sunshine.

For starters of what I have been up to since I arrived, we went for a drive-by at La Cresta Equestrienne Estates up in the mountains.  I wore my ever reliable LBD and dressed it down a bit by throwing a denim jacket (which was a good choice because it was a bit chilly that day in spite of the sunshine.) and some classic Italian boots.  The husband actually liked the place and as always, we were in awe of how vast the land cuts are out there.  It is surely a place I will come back to again and again.  I won't ever get tired of the views.

WHAT I WORE:

black backless dress from URBAN OUTFITTERS (bought on sale during my Chicago trip)

denim jacket from ROBERTO CAVALLI

black leather boots from KEEP ORIGINALS VERO CUOIO (Italian handmade leather boots from Italy; a gift from my mother-in-law)

navy pierced bag from  JW ANDERSON

rosegold cuff from KENZO (freebie when you buy the Kenzo World perfume)

rosegold mini slim watch from MICHAEL KORS

It was actually a tad chilly.

A newly built house

what a view!

a vineyard right at your garden

it looks like somewhere from Europe

a house with a very big lot

another vineyard backyard

cottage style

scenic roads

MANHATTAN HUSTLE

The quintessential New York hustle is very evident in the streets of Manhattan.  The constant buzz of the vehicles around and the endless streams of people just make you notice that you are indeed in the city that never sleeps.  It was a very busy and rushed day for me as I hopped from different places to photograph every few hours.  I am still quite disappointed though that I was not able to visit the Flat Iron due to lack of time.  Manhattan made the city girl in me gushed like crazy.   It has that vibrant and distinct ambiance that can only be attributed to being NYC's hustle centre. The original skyscrapers like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler together with the affluent shops are right in the middle of the city.

For this day, I opted to wear a dress that I bought at Chicago a few years ago and then just put a cozy turtleneck sweater over it.  I wanted to be comfortable enough since I would be doing a lot of walking (walking made me miss California haha!) and photographing.  New York weather can be very erratic so I did not leave anything to chance and wore tights with the thigh high boots.

WHAT I WORE:

turtleneck off white jumper from WALMART (yup it is a clearance sale haul)

black dress used as a skirt from URBAN OUTFITTERS (CHICAGO)

thigh high boots from BOOTSIES

tights from H&M

eyewear from COTTON ON

charcoal gray tote bag from STEVE MADDEN

Below are some shots of me taken by my kiddo or Uncle as well as other shots I took using a Sony Mirrorless Camera and a Fisheye lens (my uncle's camera and which made me consider buying one just because it is very handy and light.)

PHOTO TAKEN BY MY UNCLE

well, I just had to try most of the food stalls.  Walking stresses me out.:-D

5th avenue